Instant Pot Mexican Beans
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 186kcal
You can make homemade refried Instant Pot Mexican-Style Beans that taste as if they came from your favorite restaurant.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, cored, deseeded, and minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups beef stock (can sub chicken or vegetable stock)
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons lard (can sub olive oil or butter)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder homemade* or store-bought, see notes
Instructions
- Rinse the pinto beans in a colander or strainer and ensure there are no rocks, foreign pieces, or weird beans. Set the beans aside.
- Roughly chop the onion and mince the garlic and jalapeno. Cut up the bacon into small pieces, about 1".
- Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE and cook the bacon for 3-4 minutes. Add the onions and jalapeno and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine.
- Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pan insert if there are any burnt pieces on the bottom. Add the beans, water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Lock the lid on the Instant Pot, make sure the vent is sealed, and turn it to Pressure Cook HIGH for 45 minutes. Once the cycle is complete, allow the steam to naturally release for 15-20 minutes and then manually release the rest.
- Open the Instant Pot and remove the bay leaves. Carefully drain the beans saving the liquid. You will need this for mashing the beans. I strained the beans into a strainer and place a bowl below it to catch the liquid. The beans will need to be out of the pot for a few minutes.
- While the Instant Pot is empty, place the insert back on and turn the Instant Pot back to saute. Add the lard and allow it to melt. Place the beans back into the pot along with the cumin, onion powder, oregano, and chili powder, and ½ cup of reserved juice. Cook in the lard for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Manually mash the beans with a potato masher. Add another cup of the reserved liquid and continue to mash. If you want beans with chunks, this is as far as you need to go. I prefer my beans smoother. You can use a hand blender or a blender to puree the beans into a smooth consistency. Add any extra liquid as needed.
- Taste for any seasoning needs and adjust as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don't presoak the beans. One of the many benefits of an electric pressure cooker is that you don't need to soak dried beans ahead of time. In fact, presoaking can make them too soft or mushy for this recipe.
- Save the cooking liquid. Once you mash and blend everything, you'll see why you need it. Add about 2 cups first, then decide if you want more.
- Mash the beans before blending them, this makes the process easier and gives you more control over the final texture.
- Want black beans instead of pinto? They work well in this recipe and give a slightly earthier flavor and darker color.
- Making these vegetarian or vegan is easy, just omit the bacon, use vegetable stock in place of beef or chicken stock, and substitute olive oil or butter for the lard.
- This recipe is designed for dried beans, not canned. Canned beans are already cooked and won't hold up the same way in the Instant Pot, so if you're in a pinch, cook canned beans on the stovetop instead.
- This recipe scales up or down easily, just adjust the ingredient quantities proportionally. Cook time in the Instant Pot stays roughly the same either way.
- Serve these beans in burritos or tacos, alongside carne asada or Spanish rice, as a dip with tortilla chips, or spread onto a tostada with your favorite toppings.
- Refrigerate any leftover beans for 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 9.9g | Fat: 5.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 767mg | Potassium: 594mg | Fiber: 6.2g | Sugar: 1.2g | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
